Phelp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Wales

Etymology of Phelp

The Phelp surname was derived from the personal names Phelp or Philp, which were pet-forms of the personal name Philip. This name, usually Latinized as Philippus, was originally derived from the Greek name Philippos. This Greek name was composed of the words "philein," which means "to love," and "hippos," which means "horse." The personal name Philip owed its popularity to the medieval romances about Alexander the Great, whose father was Philip of Macedon.

Early Origins of the Phelp family

Early History of the Phelp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Phelp research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1283 is included under the topic Early Phelp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Phelp Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Phelp have included Phelps, Phellps, Phelpe, Phelpes, Phelphes and others.

Early Notables of the Phelp family

• Sir Edward Phelps